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MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: NSA leaker Edward Snowden now distancing himself from his father's legal team. In a statement, he tells "The Huffington Post", that Lon Snowden's legal advises, quote, "do not possess special knowledge regarding my situation." He goes on to say, "None of them have been or are involved in my current situation and this will not change in the future."

Snowden says is he satisfied with his own international team of legal advisers.

The Massachusetts state trooper who leaked photos of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as he surrendered to police getting a new assignment. Sergeant Sean Murphy had previously been stationed at headquarters, department headquarters in Framingham, rather. He'll now be on the midnight shift at the barracks in north central Massachusetts and going back on patrol. Spokesperson says this is not punishment but a new assignment.

The mother of Michael Jackson's two oldest children breaking down in tears in court. Debbie Rowe detailing Jackson's battle with chronic pain at his wrongful death trial and his overwhelming desire to be a father. Rowe told the court she believes certain people need to be parents and Jackson was one of them. Michael Jackson's former attorney, Tom Mesereau will join us at 8:40 Eastern here on NEW DAY.

Forty-three-year-old actress Lisa Robin Kelly best known for her role in the TV sitcom "That '70s Show" has died. She's been battling drug addiction and recently checked herself into a rehab facility. According to TMZ, Kelly passed away in her sleep but the exact cause of her death has not been released.

Well, it is hemp fest 2013 in Seattle and police are seizing opportunity to educate attendees about Washington state's new marijuana law, allowing residents over 21 years of age to possess up to an ounce of pot for personal use. They're calling it Operation Orange Fingers, handing out 1,000 bags of Doritos. Each with a printed of the summary new law attached. I guess in their minds, more munchies, more education.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: You wonder why it's such a difficult topic for people to take on as a serious medical topic, when you're looking at those flags and how people are. I mean, it does come across it's easier for leisure use and as Sanjay Gupta keeps telling us, Sanjay Gupta, that's not what it's about and that's why we're re-airing the documentary.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And it's a lot of -- the public perception. You see those pictures and you see the pictures -- there are two very different views of this issue. But we'll talk about it nonetheless.

Let's move on now.

Political gut-check -- all the stories you need to know coming out of Washington and around the country.

First up this morning, the new report from "The Washington Post" really challenging what we have heard so far from the National Security Agency and the administration on what data they hold on U.S. citizens. The report finds since 2008, the NSA's broken privacy rules thousands of times each year.

CNN's chief national correspondent John King is here to break this down.

John, this is the latest information coming from the NSA leaker Edward Snowden, and these violations we're learning from "The Washington Post" seem to range from serious significant violations of law to some of them insignificant, unintentional typographical errors.

Regardless, this is tough for the administration. They've said over and over in every way they can they are not targeting U.S. citizens and that they do this the right way and they are safeguards. This is a problem for the president.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a problem for the president, Kate. Happy Friday and it undermines statements the president has made and statements that the leaders of the national security raised. I don't think they delivered this to Martha's Vineyard, that's where the president is.

But NSA repeatedly broke privacy rules. The agency said sure we make a few mistakes. This audit found thousands of mistakes every year. Yes, some simple hypos, but some of them listening in on the very things looking into the privacy, violating the privacy of American citizens, something they say they're not doing is happening way more often than it should.

And the other column, you've heard the president say repeatedly, we tell Congress about this, there's this special court that has oversight over all of this. The chief judge tells "The Washington Post" we have to take what the agency gives us. They report to us and we have to assume that it's true,

So for those who say we need more transparency and oversight the story in "The Post" is going to give them more fodder. The House came close to a vote reining this agency in. This will give critics of the program much more ammunition.

BOLDUAN: This is a real problem. I want to ask you about Chris Christie, he made quite a pep talk to some of his party leaders at the Republican National Committee meeting in boston saying everything from, "we need to stop navel gazing", and "We need to focus on winning again," and he even took some pretty, I guess, they say -- they're clear jabs at some other 2016 presidential hopefuls like Bobby Jindal and Rand Paul.

What is Chris Christie trying to do here?

KING: What he's trying to dominate a conversation about where should the party go and who should lead it and he has that personality. If you talk to the reporters who were up at that meeting in Boston, most of the people in the private session were impressed by the power of his family presentation, the passion of his presentation. Couple of the state leaders the more conservative folks came out and called then pompous and they added a few words that I won't repeat on morning television show. He basically said stop whining and focus on winning elections.

However, I don't know what to call it, navel-gazing or soul searching, the Republican Party does have to figure out what should we say about immigration? What should we say about gay rights? Where are we on cooperating with a Democratic president for the next couple years of his term? Those are serious policy questions for the party.

I don't think Chris Christie is saying forget about them but he's trying to say Republicans in this oh eeyore funk (ph), I call it, and they need to be more optimistic.

BOLDUAN: I would say so.

I want to get your take on this one, new issue of "People" magazine, George W. Bush's daughter Barbara Bush comes out to say that she thinks that Hillary Clinton is unbelievably accomplished and she wants to see Hillary Clinton run.

Barbara Bush, she's smart. She must know she's going to stir something up being president bush's daughter. This isn't to say this is a guaranteed vote for Hillary Clinton. That must be interesting dinner conversation after that.

KING: How about Uncle Jeb?

BOLDUAN: Yes, exactly.

KING: Remember, her namesake, Barbara Bush, said not that long ago, enough, no more Bushes running for president. So, now, younger Barbara Bush seems to be saying she wants Hillary Clinton. She didn't say she'd vote for her, but she says she's very accomplished. She'd like to see her in the race.

I'd love to pick up the phone Thanksgiving dinner of the next family gathering up in Kennebunkport, just to see what Uncle Jeb thinks about all this.

Although, you know, a lot of people think Jeb Bush/Hillary Clinton race, you'd have two heavy hitters, we have a big policy debate, wouldn't that be great? But you know what? Her father says he's out of the limelight, he doesn't want George W. Bush, doesn't want to talk about these things, maybe the kids thought we'll fill that vacuum. Interesting. Because she's often the one that devoid the spotlight especially of these kinds of issues, but making news today. John King have a good weekend.

KING: Mischief, mischief, mischief.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, John.

CUOMO: Also my show that the Bushes raised their kids to not look at things in terms of parties. You just look at him in terms of people. It's not uncommon.

BOLDUAN: And be independent and form your own opinion.

CUOMO: If anything the next generation is not big into partisanship anyway, you know? We learn more and more both parties seem pretty much the same.

BOLDUAN: And they're both (INAUDIBLE).

CUOMO: We're going to take a little break. When we come back, we've got two stories that will leave you saying, are you kidding me? Gold medal winning Paralympic swimmer barred from competing in the world championships? Why, because officials say she's not paralyzed enough. True.

And here's the second one. Does this look like a lion to you? If so, get glasses or a book on animals because it is not. A zoo in China tries to pull a fast one. It almost worked until this supposedly ferocious king of the jungle began to bark at the guests.

BOLDUAN: That's a chow.

CUOMO: As if that were the only giveaway.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Let's go around the world now, starting in Lebanon where a car bomb attack in a Beirut suburb has left at least 18 dead and close to 300 wounded.

CNN's Mohamed Jamjoom has more from Beirut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Securities have been greatly tighten in Beirut after a car bomb ripped through a southern suburb of the city, a stronghold for militant Shiite group Hezbollah. Now, a little known Sunni Islamist extremist group has taken credit for the bombing. Many people here believe that Hezbollah was targeted because of its involvement in the Syrian civil war.

Many I had spoken with fear that these types of attacks could continue to happen in the weeks to come. Today has been declared a national day of mourning and last night's attack at least 18 people killed, close to 300 injured. Back to you, Kate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: All right. Mohammed, thank you for that.

And to China we go, a zoo in China has temporarily shut down after trying to pass off a very hairy dog as an African lion.

More from Monita Rajpal in Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONITA RAJPAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A zoo in China thought it could have this dog fill in for a lion. Zoo management got called out after the creature in the African lion's enclosure started barking. The zoo admits what it called the king of the jungle is, in fact, a Tibetan mastiff belonging to a zoo employee. The zoo it does have a real lion but it's been temporarily taken to a breeding facility.

Back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: It's just a placeholder. That's it, just a stand-in.

CUOMO: Doesn't make any sense. I like how we're pinning it on the bark. That's why they didn't know.

BOLDUAN: That's the only indicator. Thanks, Monita.

CUOMO: Anyway, how about this one? With all the regulations about car safety, you might be surprised to learn when it comes to pets, there are actually very few car safety regulations.

Well, that may be about to change. The reason why is the increased use of pet harnesses in vehicles. Now, new tests are putting those harnesses to the test.

CNN's Rene Marsh is live in Washington with the findings on these harnesses.

Rene, what did we learn? Good morning.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

You know, warning for those pet owners. One group says the car safety restraints may not offer the protection that you think. The animal advocacy group's crash tests using stuffed animal depict a gruesome end for the test dog with potential head and spinal injuries.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LESLIE WOLKO, CENTER FOR PET SAFETY: When I slammed on the brakes to avoid an accident, Maggie went flying. MARSH (voice-over): Leslie Walkos' cocker spaniel was injured when she got caught in the restraint. Tests video showing stuff animals shows what can happen when a dog is launched off the seat during a crash.

Her organization, the Center for Pet Safety, started testing dog harnesses in 2011. All four tested failed.

WOLKO: What we're seeing in the testing is even though the dog is attached, the dog continues to launch off of the seat.

MARSH (on camera): Crash tests done by the center for pet safety found the majority of the restraints on the market don't keep your pet on the seat at the point of impact, but manufacturers for restraints just like this one say they could actually save your pet's life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been a lot of innovation that continues and we keep on every day continuing to improve these.

MARSH (voice-over): This company's video shows a brown dog restrained and a black and white dog untethered that goes flying. The owner says any harness that keeps a dog from becoming a distraction to the driver makes things safer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eighty-five percent of people are doing nothing to restraint their dogs. The dog is running around in the car, they're a distraction.

MARSH: Wolko says not every manufacturer does testing and wants an industry standard, as well as cars with sturdier connection points to harness your pet.

But, for now she says it's up to owners to educate themselves.

WOLKO: You want to, first, look for the crash video, posted by the manufacturer to their Web site. If the dog launches off the seat, there's a risk there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: All right. Well, the group says this isn't just a concern for the animal's safety. If the dog actually launches off of the seat during a crash, that could also injure the people in the car -- Chris, Kate.

CUOMO,: Good points. Rene, thank you. However, one flagrant omission by you. That dog, that dog in the shot, that was a beautiful little poochie. Is that your dog?

(LAUGHTER)

MARSH: Yes, that's my little baby and she wanted to know what's the per diem from NEW DAY.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: She gets none now because she totally blew her off. She should sue you.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: And I know a lawyer who would take the case. What's her name?

MARSH: Her name is Paris. She made her debut today on NEW DAY.

BOLDUAN: Very exciting. Big day for Paris.

CUOMO: Good stuff.

BOLDUAN: Thanks so much, Rene.

Coming up next on NEW DAY, a New York prosecutor, here's a story for you, suing a local sheriff for claiming he interfered in a case, OK? And Judge Judy is involved here. She has the district attorney's back. She is his mother, after all. Her son, Adam Levy, will join us live in the next hour.

PEREIRA: And they are mad as heck and they're not going to take it anymore. We're talking sheep. Who knows exactly what they are, protesting, but they are speaking in one voice. It's our must-see moment today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Just as like, what's a gaggle, you know, the different names.

PEREIRA: A pride of lions.

CUOMO: What a sheep does is called bleating?

PEREIRA: Take it.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

CUOMO: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: All right. Welcome back to NEW DAY. Here's today's must see moment, they're calling this YouTube video a sheep protest, but really, who knows what they are speaking out against. Listen to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: who's your daddy? What about your mom?

(END VIDEO CLIP

PEREIRA: We actually had -- I wish we had played it from the beginning because it's so good.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: Call and response from the shepherd is just fantastic.

CUOMO: How could -- they say the same thing every time. It's all about the question.

PEREIRA: This had me rolling on the floor in my office earlier this morning. Maybe the hours is what --

CUOMO: The guy in the front is kind of like he's the only who's really distinguished himself. That's what sheep do is they follow.

PEREIRA: That's our must see moment today. Watch it again on your own time.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: In New Zealand, they say, "who's your daddy?" I thought that was an American thing.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: The world is getting so small.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Good stuff.

PEREIRA: Thanks.

BOLDUAN: Coming up next on NEW DAY --

CUOMO: Did the NSA break the law? Serious question. A report based on documents supplied by Edward Snowden claims the agency violated Americans' privacy thousands of times for years. We'll give you the details in a live report just ahead.

BOLDUAN: Also, coming up, Hannah Anderson spotted in public for the first time just days after being rescued from a kidnaper who allegedly killed her mother and her brother. We're going to find out how she's doing from two of her friends.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: All right. So, get this one, a glimmer of hope is actually crushing the dreams of one 18-year-old swimmer. Victoria Arlen has been paralyzed from the waist down since she was 11. She had her bags packed for the Paralympics world championships in Montreal, but now she's being told to stay home. Big question is why? The answer comes from Andy Scholes in this morning's "Bleacher Report." Andy, make sense of this for me, please.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes, Chris. This is very sad. Basically what the international Paralympic committee is saying is that since Victoria Arlen has a slight chance of walking again, she's not allowed to compete in any Paralympic event. Now, this is not the first time this has happened to Arlen. Right before the London Paralympic games, the IPC ruled her ineligible to compete but an arbitrator did overrule them.

Arlen went on to win four medals in the games, but now, she has been banned once again, on her Facebook page she said she is heartbroken by the ruling.

Soon Major League Baseball teams won't have to worry about losing games because of bad calls by the umpires. Commissioner Bud Selig announced yesterday that baseball will have an expanded replay system next season. Managers will now be allowed to challenge plays, just as coaches do in foot ball. They're going to get one challenge in the first six innings, and then two more from the seventh inning on. This is great news for baseball fans, no longer will teams lose games because the umpires made the wrong call.

BOLDUAN: That music means, it's time for the "Rock Block." He leaves me hanging every time. A quick roundup of the stories you'll be talking about today. First up, Michaela.

PERIERA: So agreeable that Cuomo. All right, first up in the papers: from "The New York Times," big money from the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia officials forced to borrow $50 million just to be able to open public schools on time.

From the "L.A. Times," new research has ignited -- reignited the debate over whether NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has left the solar system. There's no doubt that the 36-year-old Voyager is the farthest manmade object from Earth.

In "The Washington Post," The National Zoo now on round-the-clock panda pregnancy watch. Volunteers are monitoring live panda cams as they await the end of the giant panda's gestation period later this month.

Time now for business news and Christine Romans.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: from pandas to bulls: stock futures are higher this morning, but investors are recovering from two big days of triple digit losses. The Dow lost 225 points on Thursday. The NASDAQ and the S&P also fell. The Dow, though, for perspective, still up 15% for the year.

Shrimp prices skyrocketing, all-time highs for shrimp, six bucks a pound. That's up 56% a year ago. A disease hitting shrimp in Asia. Huge producer is getting the blame.

Take a look at this little house. It's the skinniest home in New York City. It just sold -- that skinny little home -- $3.25 million. It's 9'6" wide, three bedrooms, two baths, perfect starter home for $3 million. Let's get to Indra Petersons with the weather. Indra?

We're talking about tropical storm Erin this morning. Now, keep in mind it is far out in the ocean even by the middle of next week. Still expected to dissipate into a depression and stay in the middle of the ocean.

So we are going to shift our focus to all the tropical moisture in the Yucatan Peninsula that's expected to combine with a front in the southeast. What does that mean? Heavy rain stretching from Louisiana all the way into the Carolinas, and even a couple scattered showers are possible in the northeast but generally speaking gorgeous. We're talking about 70s and even some 80s. Temperatures still below normal and I always want to end on a good note especially in the "Rock Block." So we love that. Beautiful weekend.

BOLDUAN: Rocking into a beautiful weekend. thanks so much, Indra. We're close to the top of the hour, everyone, which you know means it's time for the top news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now we're just looking for her future and getting her settled.

CUOMO: Moving forward. Hannah Anderson stepping out in public for the first time since being rescued. New details on her captor as we hear from her father on how she is doing.

BOLDUAN: Too far. a blistering, new report says the NSA broke privacy rules of its surveillance program thousands of times each year, spying on Americans it shouldn't be.

PEREIRA: New discovery, and it's a cute one, meet the mammal who has been hidden for centuries just being found by mankind now. Where has he been all this time?

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: what you need to know.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets.

ANNOUNCER: what you just have to see. This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.

CUOMO: All right, everybody. Friday is here. Friday is here. Good morning. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It's August 16th, 7:00 in the east, I'm Chris Cuomo.